Jun 25 (CT) At the last meeting of the Election Commission on 18.06.2018 some ethics issues came up. An MP had complained that I had been untruthful about him in one of my articles – whereas I had referred to my personal observation in June 2011 of his cadres and the army forcing the public at the Jaffna bus-stand to sign a statement that there had been no casualties at Mullivaikal. This was immediately after the UN Secretary General’s Panel gave 40,000 as the casualty figure there. more..

Jun 25 (SO) Last week’s decision by the US to pull out of the UNHRC created ripples in Sri Lanka where the parting words of America’s top diplomat that the Council was a cesspool of political bias resonated strongly with politicians and bureaucrats aligned with former President Mahinda Rajapaksa who waged pitched battles in Geneva from 2009-2014, claiming victimisation and similar partisan bias by member states. For ruling party politicians, the US pull out seemed to indicate more..

Jun 25 (SO) As a campaign of misinformation subsumes the constitution-making process that has been in gridlock for several months now, officials working in the Parliamentary office coordinating the drafting process are dismayed by how historic and unprecedented steps to draft a new supreme law of SL have been undermined. Additional Secretary to the Constitutional Assembly, the 225 member body of MPs that appoint more..

Jun 25 (CT) It is no secret, state-owned airlines in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and SL, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, Air India, Nepal Airlines, Pakistan International Airlines and SriLankan Airlines are all loss-making airlines and an unbearable burden to the national treasuries of the respective countries. Nevertheless, govts and average citizens in the said countries continue to insist in carrying on with the now outdated and meaningless National / Flag Carrier concept. more..

Jun 25 (SO) It can be said that it was only a matter of time before this happened: SL cricket, already in the doldrums through a series of embarrassing defeats, is now being shamed after a ball-tampering saga involving no less a person than its captain Dinesh Chandimal. When the issue first emerged during the second test match against the West Indies, the Sri Lankan team, presumably acting on orders from its management, refused to take the field when the charges against them more..

Jun 25 (Roar) There are no fantastically trimmed hedges or fancy cherub-infested fountains, but stepping into Ranjit Seneviratne’s garden after navigating the concrete-riddled congested city of Colombo is an experience in itself. This is not your typical well manicured lawn, and you will not find any sweeping flower beds; instead there are arching fruit trees, silent ponds and a haphazard wilderness of thriving greenery. more..

Jun 25 (ST) On a visit to Myanmar last year, reputed Buddhist lay leaders who disapproved of incendiary anti-minority rhetoric engaged in by nationalist monk U Wirathu, were emphatic in their conversations with me that, making him a martyr of the State would be the best possible media boost that he could get. Marginalising him is a far better way to dilute the messages of hate that he preaches they opined. That was just prior to Myanmar’s State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee prohibiting him more..

Jun 25 (Island) Parliament was flooded with tears the other day. Having feasted on huge chunks of mutton, chicken and fish, our politicians wept buckets for an unfortunate leopard which had been beaten to death in Kilinochchi. Scandalised, they threw up their arms in despair, condemning the cruel fate that had befallen the poor animal; they called for legal action against the heartless bipeds responsible for the savage act. We do not ask the kapati-suit fraternity whether the suffering of more..

Jun 25 (ST) Vinaya Pitakaya is the sheet anchor of the Buddha Sasana: the Noble Order of Bhikkhus. It’s a book containing club rules which new initiates to this elite preserve that commands the respect of the laity are duty bound to adhere. It’s the compelling Code of Conduct the Buddha laid down and declared all monks must follow; for if they transgress, they may well end placing the honour and patronage extended liberally to the entire Buddhist clergy at risk. more..

Jun 25 (Island) Sri Lankan sovereignty – its supremacy in domestic policy and its independence in foreign policy – is under a two-pronged attack. In Sri Lanka, the neoliberals seek physical appropriation of territory and all that it contains, targeting the very substance of sovereignty and independence – the inalienable right of the people to full and permanent sovereignty, including possession, use and disposal, over all their wealth, natural resources and economic activities. more..

Jun 25 (Island) The yahapalana govt came into power at a time when the wisdom of free trade arrangements was being questioned in the very citadels of capitalism like the US, the UK and so on. One of the main issues that featured in the 2016 presidential election at least in the Trump campaign, was the various free trade agreements that the US had inked or was in the process of entering into. more..

Jun 25 (ST) This was one topic I believed was over the top of Kussi Amma Sera’s head, meaning the issue was too technical, complex and needed an analytical mind. Kussi Amma Sera discussing a crisis in skills, my foot and a half, I thought. But I was wrong. On this Thursday morning, KAS and her comrades – Serapina and Mabel Rasthiyadu – had gathered under the Margosa tree in the garden – for their regular chit-chat. Aei api wedata pitaratin minissu genne? more..

Jun 25 (ST) A major controversy is brewing over the proposed awarding of the tender of the Kerawalapitiya 300MW Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) power plant to Lakdhanavi Ltd, in which the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has a 60% stake. Informed sources said that this week the Cabinet requested the Finance Minister’s comments before a final decision is made. Earlier the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) had submitted that the Lakdhanavi bid, though the lowest, should be rejected. more..

Jun 25 (Island) TNA has been facing an internal and external crisis for some time now, with the Northern Province CM C.V. Wigneswaran rebelling against the party stalwart R. Sampanthan, and with the alliance losing its hold on the electorate to a significant extent. The reasons for the internal rift and the loss of external popular support are many. There are ideological differences between Wigneswaran and Sampanthan. more..

Jun 25 (Island) Uswatte Confectionery Works, Sri Lanka’s oldest confectionery manufacturer with a history of 63 years, opened their latest factory in their premises at Millaniya. The state-of-the-art factory will focus exclusively on the manufacturing of biscuits and signifies the entry of Uswatte into Sri Lanka’s biscuit market. The factory will be declared open by PM Ranil Wickremesinghe including other distinguished Ministers and Deputy Ministers. The opening of a factory to manufacture more..

Jun 25 (Island) Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) signs as the Official Partner of TTSL; First travel trade show in Sri Lanka scheduled to be held on 24th and 25th of April 2019. As official partner, SLTPB will both endorse and facilitate the organizer Marketeers & Co in successfully hosting the largest annual travel trade show, Travel Trade Sri Lanka with the aim to bring Top 200 operators from Top 30 markets to Sri Lanka. Travel Trade Sri Lanka (TTSL) will be a platform that connects more..

Jun 25 (FT) Fast-tracking new Customs legislation, greater stakeholder engagement and speedier implementation of Govt policy is imperative for SL’s economy to adapt to an increasingly challenging environment, a top official said recently. Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) Import Section Chairman Nishan Nanayakkara, speaking at the organisation’s 83rd Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Friday, more..

Jun 25 (Island) Airtel has opened its doors to the undergraduates of the Dept of Marketing Management, Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce of Uni of Sri J'pura under Airtel Industry Partnership Programme—a joint academic cum industry work exposure programme that helps undergraduates understand the essence of business at large. The programme cwill offer undergraduates of the Uni of J'pura an opportunity to gain practical Industry knowledge that encompasses more..

Jun 25 (FT) Minister Sujeewa Senasinghe has backed giving financial incentives to officials working in the Import and Export Department to fast-track approvals, improve compliance and promote governance. Speaking at the event to mark the assumption of duties by new Imports and Exports Controller General Damayanthi Karunarathna, the State Minister had pointed out the importance of the work done by the department, which gives a large number of approvals before goods can be more..

Jun 25 (Island) UPFA MP Dallas Alahapperuma admitted that public faith in parliament was rapidly dwindling. He made this observation, when The Island sought an explanation as to how the Joint Opposition (JO) intended to restore public faith in Parliament in view of serious corruption charges including the one that some lawmakers receiving money from tainted primary dealer, Perpetual Treasuries Limited (PTL) and its subsidiaries. more..

Jun 25 (DM) There would be a negative impact on the University Education in the long-run because of the Rs. 1 billion worth of funds of the UGC that had been invested in the controversial bond transaction, CaFFE said. Executive Director of CaFFE and CHR Keerthi Tennakoon said that Rs. 146 million loss had been incurred by the UGC on account of the said transaction. “It has been estimated that 42% of the 2017 Expenditure Estimates of the UGC had been invested in Central Bank Bonds. more..

Jun 25 (DN) Over 20 children and young people sustained severe burn injuries when a wheel with fireballs carried by a traditional fireball dancer during a ceremony at a Hindu temple in Batticaloa area, went swirling into a group of onlookers. The incident had happened on Saturday night close to midnight at Unnichchai Sri Muthumariamman temple at the 7th mile post. The dancer is said to have lost control of the wheel containing fireballs. Nine of the severely burned young people were rushed to more..

Jun 25 (FT) Ceylon Estate Staffs’ Union, belonging to the Janatha Estates Development Board (JEDB), has slammed a decision made by the Defence Ministry to award a crucial army supply tender to a private company, threatening the viability of the struggling plantation company. Defence Ministry is set on awarding the supply tender to procure the 35,000 kg of tea needed for the SL Army every month, which the union charges more..

Jun 25 (DN) Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) during the corresponding period of 2017 had earned a record net profit of Rs. 13.2 billion and became the 13th best connected port in the world. SLPA, Chairman Dr. Parakrama Dissanayaka made these remarks at the 83rd AGM of the Import Section of the CCC. He further said this Rs. 13.2 billion net profit, is recorded as the highest profit that the SLPA has ever earned due to the tireless effort and the team work of all Port Authority employees. more..

Jun 25 (Island) Provincial Council Elections would be held this Dec or in Jan next year, Minister Rajitha Senaratne said. Asked under which system the polls would be conducted, he said that several parties wanted the earlier District Proportional Representation (PR) system and not the hybrid of First Past the Post and PR, that was adopted at the Last LG Elections. Meanwhile Prez has called for all future polls to be held under new electoral system. But the minority parties are opposed to it. more..

Jun 25 (DM) Attorney General, in his sum up on the Bill entitled Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters (Amendment) submitted that Govt of SL will not permit any of our soldiers to be tried in foreign jurisdiction on war crimes. The Bill came before the Supreme Court for its Special Determination on its constitutionality. Bench comprised Justices Buwaneka Aluvihara, Sisira J. De Abrew and Nalin Perera. more..

Jun 25 (PMD) Developing Dibulagala Aranya Senasanaya which was established as an Aranya Senasanaya since the days of ancient kings was under President Maithripala Sirisena’s broad consideration to develop all the vihara, Piriven, and other religious places under Pibidemu Polonnaruwa district program. Thus, the development is conducted under 4 sections where the new piriven building complex and the residence of sangha is built spending Rs.150 million. more..

Jun 25 (Island) Vadamarachchi police, yesterday, arrested eight fishermen who had come there from another area started fishing after allegedly threatening the local fishers. Police said there had been fresh clashes between the outsiders who had come from Vadamarachchi West and local fishermen yesterday as the former had not adhered to the regulations promulgated by the authorities. Leaders of fisher societies in the area said that though there was a ban on outsiders fishing more..

Jun 25 (ST) A 16-year-old schoolboy from a leading school in Chilaw succumbed to injuries sustained in an attack by his school mates. Grade 11 student identified as Rifsy Faizoor, who was a prefect of Sawarana Muslim School, Chilaw was assaulted on Sunday (10) when he was returning to his aunt and uncle’s home after attending religious activities at 9.30 pm at the mosque. He was waylaid by a group of students more..

Jun 25 (CT) The Ceylon Motorcyclists Association (CMA) Friday expressed disapproval over the failure of the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) to implement the law on the standards of helmets and thereby endangering the lives of motorcyclists. In a letter to CAA Chairman, Hasitha Tillekeratne, CMA Chairman Chirantha Amarasinghe, alleged that helmets should adhere to Sri Lanka Standards (SLS) 517 according to the Gazette notice 1923/65 issued on 15 July 2015. more..

Jun 25 (CT) Leg spinner Jeffrey Vandersay has been sent back to Sri Lanka from the West Indies owing to his misconduct that was in breach of his player contract. A press release from SLC said that the team management had reported an incident, following which this decision was arrived at. SL have had a difficult time in the Caribbean. They lost the first Test by a huge margin; became the subject of a ball-tampering controversy in the second, and the penalties handed out more..

Jun 25 (CT) United Hajj Agencies (UHA) has accused SL Hajj Committee of violating SC guidelines on selecting Hajj pilgrims for 2018. UHA pointed out that there was a system in place where Hajj pilgrims were selected, adding that there was a list through which they were chosen. Accordingly, when a group is selected for the pilgrimage, remaining would be added to the waiting list pending selection in the next batch. more..

Jun 25 (Xinhua) Sri Lankan Police were probing the death of a Pakistani national onboard a Sri Lankan Airlines flight which arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport from Singapore, local media reported Sunday. The 86-year-old Pakistani woman was aboard the UL 306 flight from Changi Airport in Singapore to Sri Lanka on Saturday. The remains of the deceased was taken to the Negombo Hospital for a post-mortem examination, the police said. more..

Jun 25 (DM) The deployment of another contingent of military personnel for UN peace keeping mission has been held up due to the delay in giving clearance for them by Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission, it is learnt. Previously, such clearance for troops bound for UN missions were done by the UN Human Rights authorities in Geneva. However, the UN Department of Peace Keeping Operations (DPKO) said that such clearance should be taken from the HRCSL from this year onward. more..

Jun 25 (Island) Attorney General Jayantha Jayasuriya has informed Austin Fernando, Secretary to President Maithripala Sirisena, that certain annexures of the report submitted by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry on the Treasury bond scams cannot be made available to the public as they might affect the ongoing investigations, according to sources. The Attorney General has not mentioned what these annexures are. more..

Jun 25 (DM) With Sri Lanka also facing a crisis where even tens of thousands of school children are being deceived into drug addiction by heartless mafias, the intentional community tomorrow marks the United Nations day against drug abuse and illicit trafficking. In a statement, the UN says that by a Resolution approved by the General Assembly in 1987, decided to declare June 26 as the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking as an expression of its more..

Jun 25 (DM) The US quit the UNHRC on Tuesday (19) with rhetoric intended to assert the moral high-ground, slamming the council and selectively naming and shaming council members outside its charmed circle of friends. While the statements of US Ambassador to UN Nikki Haley and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Washington reeked of imperial arrogance, the irony of this grandstanding by one of the worst human rights offenders on the planet would not have been lost on many more..

Jun 25 (DM) The verbal wrangling between the power regulator Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) and the powerful Engineers Union of the power monopoly CEB, has come to a boiling point with CEB engineers launching trade union action leaving the smooth power generation, transmission and distribution at risk. Daily Mirror spoke to the President of CEBEU, Saumya Kumarawadu on the issue. more..

Jun 25 (CI) West Indies didn't bat as well as they would have liked, but entertained the possibility of a first-innings lead at the end of a truncated second day in Bridgetown. Only 59 overs were possible in all, 23 of which saw West Indies move from their overnight 132 for 5 to 204 all out. Jason Holder made a bulk of those runs with 74, the highest of the innings. Then Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel and Holder struck more..